Dead Island 2 Day One Edition Xbox One / Xbox Series X

The second installment of an FPP action series set during the zombie apocalypse. Dead Island 2 takes place in Los Angeles, where a few lucky survivors turn out to be immune to the zombie virus. The military failed to regain control over the situation and withdrew from Los Angeles. The city was quarantined, their residents left to die. Some citizens, however, turn out to be immune to zombie bites - the infection instead grants them supernatural abilities.

We play as one such infected, who, alongside other lucky survivors, tries to learn more about the epidemic and discover the truth about themselves.

Dead Island 2 makes use of the first-person perspective (FPP). We start the game by choosing one of six playable characters, each with their own personality, unique dialogue and skillsets. Afterwards, the gameplay proper begins.

The game's open world is a vast city divided into smaller locations. There are plenty of distinctive places to visit in Los Angeles, such as Beverly Hills and Venice Beach. Throughout the game we complete story quests and various side quests. Along the way we slaughter hordes of undead, primarily with melee weapons. The zombies aren't completely mindless, can realistically attack us and react to their surroundings. Aside from weak cannon fodder we'll face some much more powerful specimens.

By progressing through the game we develop our heroes, gain new abilities and upgrade the characters via collecting special cards. We can also increase their combat capabilities by acquiring better gear. The game's built-in crafting system lets us infuse weapons with additional effects, creating weapons such as electric machetes.


Dead Island 2 supports singleplayer and online co-op.